Pandas reach sexual maturity from
four-and-a-half to six-and-a-half years of age and mate during the spring, from
March to May. Females are in estrus for one to three weeks, but peak
receptiveness lasts for only a few days. Litters of one, two, or occasionally
three cubs are born in August or September, usually in a hollow tree or cave.
Normally, only one cub is raised.

Although cubs are usually weaned at
about nine months of age, they remain with their mothers for up to 18 months.

Except for females accompanied by
cubs, giant pandas live a solitary existence. During the breeding season,
several males may compete for access to a female. Home ranges of females are
usually mutually exclusive, although they overlap occasionally, while the home
range of each male may overlap those of several females.

Giant pandas live at an altitude of
between 1,200 and 3,500 meters (4,000 and 11,500 feet) in mountain forests that
are characterized by dense stands of bamboo. Home ranges average 8.5 square
kilometers (3.3 square miles) for males and 4.6 square kilometers (1.8 square
miles) for females. .

The sharply contrasting black and
white coloration, added to the stocky characteristic shape of a bear, makes the
giant panda one of the most recognizable animals in the world. The head, top of
the neck and rump are white, while small patches of fur around the eyes, the
ears, shoulders, front legs, and rear legs are black. When compared with other
bears, the head of the giant panda is large in relation to its body.

The front paw has six digits as a
result of the radial sesamoid, the wrist bone, becoming extended to form an
awkward, but functional, opposable thumb. The male genitalia are small and
pointed to the rear, which is more similar to the red panda (Ailurus
fulgens)than to other bears.